"How are the casualties?" Aven asked.
"Lord Aven, this is the casualty report for Fruitvale Village," Fessen replied, handing over a detailed list.
Aven skimmed the numbers and gave a slight nod. Despite their best efforts to heal the Pokémon, many had still died.
The Bidoof suffered the worst losses. Those that had fled with the knight order had not received timely treatment and had died before they could be captured and rescued.
"Fessen, send knights into the Black Forest again. If you find the bodies of any fallen Pokémon, bring them back."
Aven paused to think for a moment before speaking. He intended to build a cemetery—a place to properly bury the Pokémon who had died in the battle.
Fessen nodded without hesitation. Even though the command was unexpected, Aven's authority was now absolute.
After everything that had happened, the villagers and knights no longer questioned him—they simply acted.
"Let's move on to the current state of the village."
After Fessen's report, the village chiefs took turns giving updates.
The Berry seedlings had suffered the most. Floodwaters had destroyed nearly all of them. The villagers urgently needed a new batch of seedlings to replant in time for the optimal growing season.
In addition, many homes had been damaged by the flood. New housing would need to be built as soon as possible.
"Don't worry about the seedlings," Aven said. "I'll take care of that right away. Every villager will be able to collect replacement seedlings for free, based on their losses."
This was a promise Aven had made earlier. Now that the battle was over, it was time to make good on it.
As for rebuilding the houses, Aven didn't give an immediate response.
He had long planned to develop Fruitvale Village into a small town, and this presented the perfect opportunity.
Furthermore, if the Bibarel tribe were to be integrated into the village, they would also need a designated habitat.
At this point, the total number of Pokémon within the Fruitvale territory had exceeded 5,000.
This was an enormous population, demanding significant land and resources.
Maybe this is the right time to start building a Pokémon breeding facility, Aven thought.
It would be unrealistic for Fruitvale Village to singlehandedly support all these Pokémon. A new ecological system would be necessary.
"Lord Aven, how should we respond to Marina City's attack?"
"I imagine the entire Aspiration City has already heard about what happened here."
"For Marina City to dare invade our territory… many nobles are likely calling for retaliation!"
"It's no secret that Marina City has been eyeing our land for a long time, but we've had our eyes on theirs too."
"Now that they've officially started the war, Aspiration City could use this as a pretext to strike back—take over Marina City and add it to our territory!"
Fessen's eyes sparkled as he spoke.
After all, Aven was the Border Earl of the southeastern frontier, with the authority to expand his domain.
If Aven seized this opportunity to conquer Marina City, it would officially become part of his territory.
The others in the room were visibly excited.
The idea of capturing a city and claiming it as part of their fief—it was an irresistible temptation.
"Attack Marina City?" Aven furrowed his brow and after a moment, shook his head.
"Fruitvale Village is still in its development phase."
"Rather than going on the offensive, I prefer to focus on strengthening the village. Once we're powerful enough, we'll expand into the Black Forest."
"When we have overwhelming strength, conquering Marina City will be easy."
He laid out his reasoning. His plan was to grow steadily, not rush into war.
Fruitvale Village still had a lot of potential to develop. There was no need to start a risky conflict just yet.
Even though they had defeated the Marina Knight Order, luck had played a part.
If Cherrim hadn't learned Sunny Day to drive away the rain, Aven would've been forced to rely on Froslass to fight at full power.
Had it come to that, the outcome would have been far less certain.
In truth, Fruitvale Village's current strength didn't surpass that of the Marina City knight order.
To attack now, with uncertain odds, would be reckless.
Moreover, the Bibarel tribe had once served as Marina City's war mounts.
Their loyalty was still unclear.
If he counted them as part of the village's military strength, he might have enough force to launch an invasion—but he couldn't guarantee they wouldn't betray him at a critical moment.
After hearing Aven's reasoning, Fessen, Sutter, and Jorah exchanged glances and nodded.
As knights, they longed to charge into battle and earn glory.
But they also recognized that Fruitvale Village was still growing and had no formal knight order of its own yet.
This victory had clearly gone to their heads a little.
"Let's adjourn the meeting here. If anything else comes up, feel free to come to me."
At Aven's words, everyone rose, bowed respectfully, and quietly filed out of the study.
When the room finally fell silent, Aven let out a small sigh of relief.
By his side, Froslass appeared silently.
From the back room, Petilil came running out, wearing a little nurse outfit, joyfully holding a small wooden bottle in her hands. Inside was a lush green sprout.
In the battle against Marina City, Petilil had been one of the biggest winners.
She had successfully learned the move Grassy Terrain, and with her deep understanding of life energy, she could now use it with remarkable ease.
"Petilil, I'll be counting on you to grow the new seedlings," Aven said with a smile.
Petilil proudly patted her chest, indicating there was no problem at all.
Aven picked her up and walked quickly toward the farm fields.
…
Sunlight shone down upon the farmland.
The empty fields had already been completely tilled, glowing faintly green with residual energy.
Under Petilil's control, large numbers of seeds floated gently down into the soil and sank deep into the earth.
Next came Grassy Terrain—as emerald green light blanketed the field, the Berry seeds began to sprout rapidly.
"Plumeee~"
Vileplume stood nearby, watching Petilil skillfully cast Grassy Terrain. She opened her mouth in disbelief.
She had been the one to learn Grassy Terrain first, so how was Petilil so much better at it?
"That's because Petilil has mastered life energy," Aven explained with a chuckle.
"Your talent leans more toward Grass and Poison. Maybe you can try strengthening your grasp of those energies to improve your control over Grassy Terrain."
There was no helping it—Petilil's comprehension was simply exceptional.
It was best not to compare with her.
"Plume…"
Vileplume nodded in disappointment, but began pondering how to enhance her strength using Grass and Poison-type energy.
While Rhydon, Petilil, and the others worked to grow Berry crops, Aven took the opportunity to check on the experimental plots.
Although the farm had also been flooded, the Tangelas had protected the experimental fields. The Berry trees there had suffered no damage.
"Tang~"
The Tangela greeted Aven excitedly as he arrived.
"You all did great," Aven praised sincerely.
Thanks to the Tangela's efforts, all the hard work he had put into these crops hadn't gone to waste.
The trees had already matured, growing over two meters tall.
With the combined effects of fertilizer and Grassy Terrain, their growth rate was astonishing.
It wouldn't be long before he could begin mutation experiments on the berries.
Over at the composting area, his experimental fertilizer had already finished fermenting. He had started the next stage of compost preparation.
"Cherrr~"
Just as he approached the Berry grove, he heard a series of joyful chirps.
Among the trees, the Cherrims were darting about, playing a game of hide-and-seek.
When they spotted Aven, they paused for a moment, then rushed over, happily chirping in greeting.
"This battle couldn't have been won without you," Aven said, picking up the Cherrim leader.
Cherrim's Sunny Day had played a decisive role in the fight.
"Cherrr~"
The Cherrim leader squinted happily, her petals blooming and releasing a soft, pearly white glow.
This was her Flower Gift ability. Now that she had learned Sunny Day, her control over this ability had also grown stronger.
"Cherrim, try casting Sunny Day over the experimental field."
The Cherrim leader nodded and hopped onto Aven's shoulder, glowing even more brightly.
Soon, a small sun appeared above the experimental fields. Energy radiated from it, causing sunlight levels across the field to rise rapidly.
"Rototiller, Grassy Terrain, and Sunny Day…"
"With those three field moves in place, our farming setup is complete."
Looking up at the sun in the sky, Aven smiled with satisfaction.
The energy contained in Sunny Day weather greatly enhances plant growth.
For Grass-type Pokémon, it also allows them to absorb the sunlight and grow stronger.
With Cherrim's Sunny Day added to the experimental fields, Aven was certain the Berries would grow faster—accelerating the progress of his Berry mutation experiments.
(End of Chapter)